Michael Shannon Talks Zod & Krypton in Man of Steel

Between a starring role on HBO’s acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire and upcoming roles in promising indie fare like Take Shelter, former Oscar nominee Michael Shannon is gaining fame by the day – and that’s not even including his upcoming role as the big villain battling Superman in Zack Snyder’s reboot film, Man of Steel.

As is warranted with increased fame, Shannon has been doing more interviews as of late, opening up bit by bit about his early impressions of MoS.

The actor previously expressed his thoughts about the costume(s?) he’ll be wearing to play General Zod, Superman’s super-powered nemesis – and today, thanks to Hero Complex, we have more from Shannon on his interpretation of Zod (which he promises WON’T be an imitation of Terrence Stamp’s iconic version of the character from Superman II). He also touches on what the world of Krypton is like in Snyder’s film, and how it’s (thankfully) being brought to life through the use of practical sets, in addition to CGI.

According to Shannon:

MS: This is one of the biggest stories of all time: the Superman story. Its prevalence is enormous. And I remember watching the original films — the [Richard] Donner films, and Terence Stamp in the role [of Zod], and the three Kryptonians — it scared the crap out of me. It really left an impression on me. Someone asking me to follow in those footsteps seemed like the highest kind of challenge you could have as an actor. And I always like to be challenged.

[Zod’s] not one of these archetypal villains with horns coming out of his head and breathing fire or something. He’s a man, a Kryptonian man. He’s a general, that’s his main attribute. That’s the way I approach it: playing a general. I’ve done military parts before, but I’ve only been up to sergeant, so this is a big promotion.

On the subject of Krypton:

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done…It’s massive sets. It’s literally another world. It’s the first time I’ve acted on another planet…As much green screen as there is and I’m sure will be, they’re actually building a lot of the sets as well. I had thought it was just going to be green screens everywhere and we would just be pretending everything. There’s quite a bit of detail they’re building and putting into it. It’s very helpful. The less green screen, the better — I don’t think you’d be able to find an actor on Earth who wouldn’thave that sentiment.

Shannon is an actor that takes his craft seriously, so it’s good to hear him sounding comfortable with how things are progressing with Man of Steel, as well as the grounded, practical approach they’re taking in regards to making the film. In a previous interview, the actor seemed somewhat shaky about the CGI mo-cap costume he was seen wearing in several leaked set photos. He seems to be more at ease now – as are fans, having seen photos of Zod in a non-CGI costume, in addition to his digital one.

For all the doubts floating around right now, one thing that Man of Steel still has going for it is the strength of its cast, which includes many other Oscar-nominees/winners like Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. We’ll know more about Henry Cavill’s ability to play Superman when we see the actor leading the Greek epic Immortals this fall.